Would he say anything? Had she already ruined her future with him?

Her hand shook as she lifted the pot lid to check on the water.

And so the wait for answers began.

David stood under the shower spray, letting the ultramassage setting work magic on his tight shoulders, trying to pound out the image of Valerie watching him. If she weren’t his employee, he would be flattered. She was an attractive woman, both soothing and sexy, a rare combination.

But she worked for him, so now what? Just ignore it? Discuss it so they could deal with the situation before it escalated into something uncomfortable, or even impossible?

Man, he needed a date. If all it took was for Valerie to stare at him for a few seconds—

But maybe he was wrong. Maybe she hadn’t been looking at him. She’d been a good twenty-five feet away, after all. He could’ve read something into it that wasn’t there. Perhaps his ego had gone into overdrive. His body certainly had, which was why he’d wrapped the towel around himself and headed for his bedroom so fast, before she saw how affected he’d been.

He stepped out of the shower, the question still foremost on his mind. What should he do?

The phone rang as he zipped his jeans.

“David? It’s Denise Watson. Just checking in to see how Valerie is working out.”

Hearing the voice of the director of At Your Service made David’s decision for him. He didn’t want to interview any more candidates. He wanted his life settled. And maybe he was wrong, anyway.

“She’s fitting in very well,” he told Denise, grabbing a T-shirt from his dresser drawer. “She’s a very hard worker.”

“And her daughter?”

“So far, so good.” He hoped it continued after Hannah felt comfortable in her new surroundings. You never knew with kids.

“I’m so glad to hear that. You’ll let me know if anything comes up, right?”

David almost choked. Like something hadn’t already come up when Valerie had stared at him so intently, so directly? “I’ll do that.”

Belle followed him downstairs a minute later. He could smell the ribs on the barbecue—or the barbecue sauce, anyway. He walked into the kitchen. Valerie didn’t acknowledge his presence.

“Smells good,” he said.

“Everything’s ready.” Still she didn’t look at him but moved around the room, putting corn and potato salad on three plates then taking an empty platter to the barbecue, returning with a stack of ribs. She piled a mound on one dinner plate. “I set the table on the deck for you,” she said, adding ribs to the other two plates. “If you’d rather eat inside, I can move your place setting.”

He was a little intrigued now at how she wouldn’t look at him. He’d been right. It hadn’t been his ego. “Outside is fine, thanks.” He took the plate from her. “You don’t need to wait hand and foot, Valerie.”

“Okay.” She slid her hands down her apron.

He wondered where she’d gotten it. He also wondered when the last time was that he’d seen a woman wear an apron at home. It seemed so old-fashioned. Or maybe she thought it put a division between them, a reminder of their employer/employee status.

“I’ll be back in a half hour to clean up the kitchen, if that’s okay,” she said, picking up the two remaining dinner plates and walking away.

“That’s fine.” What else could he say?

She apparently hadn’t thought about the fact she had a plate in each hand, however, because she stopped at the door, looking bewildered.

“Hang on. I’ll get it,” he said. He grabbed the handle, then waited for her to look at him. Her cheeks took on a pink tinge. “The food looks great. The house is cleaner than it’s been in months. I’m not going to make your day longer by discussing the files tonight. I don’t need to go into the office tomorrow, so plan on a full morning with me tomorrow.”

“Okay.”

He opened the door. She slipped past him, the scent of hickory trailing her. He shut the door then grabbed his beer and took his plate outside, Belle following and settling under the table, just as Valerie reached the cottage. She didn’t turn around and look back at him.

David turned his attention to the panoramic view, something he never tired of. The sun hadn’t quite set but had dipped behind the hill, creating an aura that backlit the scene. Peace washed over him.

After a minute he picked up a rib, the meat so tender it almost fell off the bone. He was used to eating alone at home, although not a meal as good as this one, and he certainly never set the table, place mat, cloth napkin and all. It made him seem even more alone.

He picked up his plate and moved to the railing, leaning a hip against the wood as he dug into the potato salad. From the cottage came laughter, first Hannah’s then Valerie’s. Even Belle lifted her head, her ears pricking. Were they reacting to something on television or just making each other laugh? They did that a lot.

He hadn’t grown up in a household where laughter was a constant. His mother had left when he was eleven. Before that, his parents had fought all the time, one of the reasons why David refused to fight with anyone. Noah had left for college the same week David’s mother left, and Gideon was fourteen and entering high school, so Gideon hadn’t had a lot of time for a kid brother. Their father hadn’t been an easy man to please.

Hannah laughed again. Did she miss having a father, as he had missed his mother? Hannah seemed well-adjusted enough.

Belle got to her feet and wagged her tail as she looked up at him with soulful eyes.

David sighed. “Okay. You can go see Hannah.”

The dog hustled off. Hell, even Belle wouldn’t keep him company.…

That settled it. Time to take back his life. He would start by accepting invitations, even when he was too jet-lagged. His world had become too routine, too closed in. Too all work and no play.

Time to liven things up.

Chapter Five

“So, your home base in Europe is Hamburg, Germany, but you’re rarely there?” Valerie asked the next morning after spending a few hours with David in his office.

He was searching for a particular file on his computer, his focus on the screen. “I go where the potential business is, which means I’m taking a train or plane constantly, following leads. I go to Hamburg only to keep a personal hand in the business, because that’s where the cars are built. It’s good for the crew to see a boss now and then.”

“And you’ve been the one solely responsible for wrapping up the deals for the past three years?”

He nodded.

No wonder he seemed so tired. It made her want to rub his back.…

Valerie picked up her notepad and ran her pen down the notes she’d taken. “When you leave on Sunday, where will you go?”

“London first, then Rome.”

She’d never traveled outside of California. It all sounded exotic to her, while to him it was probably just routine, maybe even mundane. “Do you have a favorite place?”

“Yes, a newly discovered one. Tumari.”

“Where’s that?”

“In Malaysia. It’s a sultanate, an extremely rich little country with lots of oil. And it’s beautiful. Completely different from the places I usually go.” He double-clicked on a folder. “Usually it doesn’t matter much to me where I go, since I rarely do anything but work—wining and dining being part of that.”

“So you have no interest in vacationing anywhere you’ve been?”

“Coming home is my vacation. This house is my ultimate five-star resort.” His gaze flickered to her. “You have dreams of traveling?”

“I’ve always wanted to go to Hawaii.”

He smiled. “A small dream.”

“Not to me.”

“I didn’t mean you were dreaming small, but that accomplishing it is relatively easy.”

She couldn’t contradict him without telling him how close she’d been to being homeless two days ago. How long it was going to take her to be debt free. He’d never been poor. “I’m saving my pennies. Maybe for Hannah’s high school graduation.”